Card game.



I. L. ORDWA Y'" CARD GAME. APPLICATION rum) DEO .16. 1904.

PATENTED DEC. 4, 1906.

SUB i mp llltinesses: Y Invehivr: Q Frank L. Ordwa ruzmnms srsns ca WASHINGTON, n. c.

IINITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

FRANK L. ORDWAY, OF SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO PARKER BROTHERS, INCORPORATED, 015 SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPO- RATION, ()F MAINE.

CARD GAME.

Patented Dec; 4, 1906.

Application filed December 16,1904. Serial No. 237,090.

card games, and more particularly in a game having for a general groundwork the building-up principle used in the well-known game of fan-tan as played with ordinary playing-cardsthat is to say, cards whichare so designated by spots or other symbols as to be capable of arrangement in sequence are built up from a low number, such as No. 1, to a higher number, such as N 0. 10 or No. 12.

By my invention the sequence-cards are com ined with a number of other cards, herein termed substitute-cards, bearing some characteristic designation. These substitute-cards may be played in substitution for and with the eifect of any desired one of the sequence-cards. Thus a player finding his sequence building interrupted by the lack of a necessary card and having a substitutecard may play the latter in place of the seuence-card and continue the building-up as if uninterrupted. In addition to these socalled substitute-cards I also employ a number of cards herein designated as stopcards. The playing of one of these stopcards efiects an arrest or stoppage of the play and transfers the privilege of continuing the play to the one producing and playing such stop-card.

My invention will be best understood from a description of a pack ofcards and the mode of playing the same, such as constitute the best embodiment of the said invention known to me, it being understood, however, that the invention is not limited in scope to that of the specific embodiment herein, the latter being submitted wholly for illustrative purposes.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the particular embodiment of my invention above referred to as selected for illustrative purposes.

Figure 1 shows one form of substitute-card Fig. 2, a stop-card, and Fig. 3 a sequencecard.

Referring to the drawings, my invention in the embodiment therein illustrated comprises aplurality of cards, like that shown in Fig. 3, bearing upon their faces some denominational symbols, such as numerals. Each pack of cards is provided with a plurality of sets of such cards, each set having a plurality of cards numbered in numerical progression and capable of arrangement in sequence. Thus each set will have a card of the lowest denomination, such as'No. 1, a card of the highest denomination, such as No. 10, and cards of the intermediate denominations. Enough sets of these numbered or sequence cards are provided to permit the game to be played by from two to seven or eight persons, and for this end about ten sets of ten cards each are preferably provided. y

In addition to the sequence-cards there are provided a lesser numberlet us say ten-of substitute-cards, and these preferably carry some sign or symbol to indicate or imply that they may be substituted for one of the se uence-cards. There is also provided a still lesser numberlet us say-fivestop cards, as shown at c, and these are marked with the word Stop or some other word or symbol to indicate the idea of a stoppage or arresting of the play.

The mode of playing the game generally is as follows: The cards are shuffled and dealt ten cards to each player, one at a time and face upward, to form a pile having its top card only exposed. These cards form for each player a players pile. Each player is then dealt five cards, which constitute his hand. The player at the left of the dealer starts the play, which he must do by playing all the N0. 1 cards which he may have, face upward, upon the center of the table to form the basis of one or more center piles. If he has no No. 1 cards, the play passes to the next player on his left. In each case, however, then and throughout the game any No. 1 cards available in any way to a layer for playing must be played without 0 oice. If the player placing a No. 1 card upon the table also has a No. 2 card, he may place it upon the No. 1, face upward, and thus start the building up of that pile. If then or at any subsequent turn he cannot play to the center piles or does not wish to do so, or when he can no longer play, he must take a card from his hand and lay it, face upward, on the table before him and near his players pile. When subsequent cards of this description are discarded, they are to be placed, face upward, by the side of the previous card until two piles or some other specified number of such discarded or field piles of one card each have been formed. After this, subse quently discarded cards must be placed upon any one of the field piles, the top card only in each pile being exposed.

The object of the game is for a player to rid himself of his players pile by transferring the cards thereof during his turn of play, one by one, as they appear at the top of the pile to one of the center piles, as opportunity presents itself for thus building up a sequence. The player who first gets rid of his players pile wins the game. If it is possible thus to play a card from the top of the players pile, that card must be played.

When the sequence in any center pile is completed by the final addition thereto of a card No. 10, that pile is removed from the table and shufiied with the undealt cards. If a players hand is exhausted by playing his last card to the center, a new hand of five cards is dealt to him and his lay continues. If exhausted by playing his ast card to his field pile, a new hand will be dealt him, but not until the play has passed around the table and the preceding player has finished playing. Thus a player having played to the center all the No. 1 cards which he may hold and all the successively exposed cards upon his player s pile which continue in sequence with the center piles he may then continue to build up the center piles by playing to them from his hand or by playing from his field piles or he may refuse to play. In any case, however, excepting when stopped, as hereinafter explained, he must bring his lay to an end by playing a card from his hand to one of his field piles, the latter having at all times the top card only exposed and the cards thereof not being interchangeable. When a field pile is exhausted, the next card played to the field must replace the exhausted 1le. uy player refusing to play from his field and exposing a card underneath must play that card, or if it cannot be played that player must cease playing.

At any time in the course of play if a player is blocked in building up a center pile by the lack of the necessary card and if he hold one of the substitute-cards in his hand or in his field he may play the latter with the same force and effect of the missing card, whatever the denomination of the latter may be, provided he can continue the building-up operation by the playing of a card of the next higher denomination to the missing card. A substitutecard, however, played in substitution of a No. 10 card or one of the highest denomination completes the pile upon which it is played, and the latter is then to be removed from the table. Such a substitutecard appearing upon the top of a players pile must immediately be played to the center of the table, where it takes the rank of a card No. 1.

The play normally proceeds in rotation from left to right, each player awaiting his turn. If any player, however, awaiting his turn hold a stop-card in his hand or in his field and for any reason wishes to assume the play or prevent an opponents play, he may call Stop, and thus arrest the play, the right to which then passes from the player who is in turn to the one producing and playing the stop-card. The latter is played upon any center pile, and that pile is then withdrawn. In case the stopped player has just played a substitute-card the stop-card is played upon the substitute-card and the pile then withdrawn. When the player producing the stop-card finishes his play, the play does not revert to the stopped player, but passes to the left, as usual.

If the game becomes blocked by the dealing of all the cards and the refusal of those Who hold available cards to play them, the first one in rotation holding a card available for play must play it.

Certain penalties are incurred for improper or inexact play. A player who has a card available for play upon his players pile and fails to play it may be obliged to take a card from his hand and place it on the bottom of the players pile, provided his opponents detect the omission and call out Forfeit. The same forfeiture may be incurred if a card unavailable for play is lifted from a field pile or a card in the hand exposed to view, for giving suggestions as to the best way to play, for playing out of turn, for looking at cards beneath the uppermost card of his field pile or his players pile, or for calling Forfeit without cause.

It will be seen that the object of the game namely, the playing to the center of all the cards in a players pile-can be reatly facilitated by a judicious use of su bstitute and stop cards and skilful management of the field, while by the same means an opponents progress to this end may be materially hindered.

This game may be played individually or with partners, the mode of playing, however, in the latter case being substantially the same as described, except that each partner may play from his own or his partners field pile or players pile. Where each players pile has a card available for playing, however, his own must be played. The game is won when both partners players piles are exhausted.

In the described embodiment of my invention I have applied to the substitute-cards the characteristic designation Sub. It

Will be obvious that the spirit of my invention is carried out by'the appllcation to such cards of words, symbols, or pictorial representations which suggest the idea of substitution or duplicity, multiplicity, or indefiniteness in value-that is to say, more specifically, the capability of assuming any one of a variety of roles which conditions may require. It will also be obvious that the spirit of my invention comprehends the use of stop-cards which bear other symbols than the word Stop, this being, however, well illustrative of the idea which should be suggested or impliednamely, the act of stopping, arresting, or interrupting the particular play then being enacted.

It is obvious that my invention is not limited to the particular details which are herein described, but that theymay be varied widely without departing from the spirit thereof.

I claim 1. A game apparatus comprising a pack of cards composed of one or more groups, the

cards of each group being suitably designated for play in sequence, one or more cards in addition to and independent of said sequencecards having designations thereon to indicate a termination in sequence of play, and one or more cards also in addition to and independent of said sequence-cards having designations I thereon to indicate the capacity for assuming any one of several values.

2. A game apparatus comprising a pack of cards composed of one or more groups, the cards of each group being suitably designated for play in sequence, and one or more cards bearing symbols indicative of the capacity for assuming the value of any one of several of the said sequence-cards.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANK L. ORDWAY.

Witnesses:

WM. D. CHAPPLE, J. FOSTER SMITH. 

